Mike -- Has the vet ruled out physical causes? Have you consulted a trainer/behaviouralist? Have you spoken to the breeder about possible causes and/or solutions?
We had a intact male who became assertive with me (female) but was fine with my husband. (I think it's an "alpha dog"/"pecking order" thing - he thought I was further down the order than he was). He would growl at me if I asked him to do something he didn't want to do - especially if it was something (like attaching the leash when we were outside) that involved touching him. We worked on him having to obey me if he was going to get ANYTHING. I fed him only after he obeyed my commands for SIT or DOWN or whatever I decided. He got treats ONLY from me until he learned that he had to obey me and defer to me in order to get what he wanted. He did improve with time - it just took a lot of patience and work (it's worth it). Maybe this would work for you guys also. I hate to see dogs being rehomed - especially since BMDs get so attached to their people; it's as tough on them as it is on the people who have to give them up. Maybe some others on this List can point you in the right direction for problem resolution with therapy or training. Liz Steinweg & The Crew Blue Moon's Baloo Berry Torte "Baloo" - our rescue Berner-boy! Bobby Sox (husky-x), Figaro (20+ lb Forest Cat) Rio & Sahara (the "Rat Cats") and in loving memory of my 1st BMD - Toby (6/29/97 - 6/30/00) Colorado Springs CO http://www.csbservices.com/personal/personal.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 9:46 AM Subject: Need to rehome our Berner Hello Everyone, We are in the unfortunate and sad situation in which we need to rehome our 2 year old male Berner Bailey. As some of you may remember my posting quite some time ago, Bailey was ill as a puppy and has made a full recovery and grown into a beautiful and most of the time sweet Berner. Unfortunately he has shown signs of selective aggression with strangers and we can no longer keep him as we have children and cannot take the added liability and risk. He was raised with children and has never shown aggression with children however, until he is rehabilitated, he should not go to a home with children. He is a typical sweet affectionate Berner most of the time who wants to be with his family. He was just neutered a week ago and has recovered nicely. He appears to be very healthy at this time. He is on the small side for a male 80-85lbs. He has had bouts of aggression toward strangers and most recently would not defer to my wife which made us realize he needs some special care. We are looking to rehome him ASAP as we have many children in and out of our house on a daily basis. We live in Eastern PA in a town called Collegeville which is just west of Valley Forge. I would love to find a home for Bailey in our area if possible so that we may monitor his progress and atleast be able to visit him occasionally if his new owner is agreeable to that. You can email us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for further information and contact info. Thanks and we would appreciate inquiries from good homes for Bailey, Mike
